Earth and Sky
by SnowWhite0716
Summary: When she woke up, she didn't even remember her own name. And now some mysterious "Man in the Moon" has chosen her to be some kind of...Guardian? But as Pitch threatens to destroy every child's dreams, it's up to her to rise up to her status as a Guardian and be a strong force for others. Join Tatiana as she discovers her center, finds herself, and maybe finds love along the way.
1. Prologue

**Hello people of ! I present to you** _ **Earth and Sky,**_ **my first ever Rise of the Guardians story! *throws confetti* "Confetti! It's a** _ **parade**_ **!" (if you understand that reference, you are** _ **AWESOME**_ **. If you don't understand that reference, you're still awesome.) Hope you guys enjoy this first chapter of it. You guys are the best!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own RotG.**

" _We come from the mountain, living in the mountain; go back to the mountain, turn the world around." -"Turn the World Around," Harry Belafonte_

A voice echoing in my head is the first thing I remember: _Awake and arise._ I open my eyes and see darkness; not a trace of light to be found. But for some reason, I didn't feel scared. Wherever I was, it was warm and cozy. I'm lying on something soft, and when I reach over and touched it my hand feels moisture. I rubbed something between my fingers that crumbled, but it felt rich and thick.

 _Is this…dirt?_ The revelation made sense, but what was I doing in the ground? Am I dead? I shake my head at the thought; no, I think I would know if I were dead. I rub my hands together and pinch my face. Nope, not dead – but why am I in the earth? Another thought shook me to my core: how is it that I can breathe in here? I should be coughing, hacking away as dirt and clay filled my lungs…but as I took one deep breath, and then another, I felt better somehow; like the dirt was part of my body just like my fingers were.

 _How did I get here?_ The thought scares me. I try to think back and recall any instance of how I got here, but nothing comes to mind. _Who am I?_ Fear runs through my veins like shards of ice. My breathing becomes more shallow and faster. _Okay, just stay calm and relax; everything is going to be okay. Think: my name is…my name is…oh, my goodness._ It's a full-blown panic now. _I don't even know my own name…_

A feeling comes over me: I felt too tight in this space, like the walls were closing in on me. I felt like I was going to suffocate if I didn't get out soon. I reach up with my hands and tear at the dirt, blinking away the dust that fell into my eyes. Soil covers me, landing on my hair, stomach, feet, and legs. My arms are starting to get tired, and I want to give up but something bright and cool hits my face. I sigh; _fresh air…_ Having been used to the darkness, my eyes burn and I squint. I pull myself up into a sitting position and wipe the dirt off of my face. When I open my eyes again, the sight I see takes my breath away.

There's white fluff everywhere, covering the earth in a blanket of snow. A full moon bathes the land in moonlight, casting blue shadows from the neighboring trees. There's a small pond nearby that's covered with ice, the dark water swirling beneath the surface. There are a few animals in the distance, their shaggy fur protecting them from the bitter wind.

Speaking of wind…I realize just how cold it is and wrap my arms around myself, shivering. I almost want to go back into the ground and go back to sleep, but something brushes my side. I look down and see that it's a small hedgehog. I can't help but smile as I pick it up gently and hold it close. The hedgehog leans into my hand and sniffs my fingers, getting a giggle out of me. And then it hits me: hedgehogs hibernate during the winter – what is it doing out here, where there is surely no sign of spring?

"Poor little guy," I say softly to the hedgehog. "Come on; I'll find you a place to sleep until springtime comes along." The hedgehog looks up at me with its beady black eyes and lets out a small squeak. I smile and manage to stand up, despite the deep snow that's covering my legs. I take a few steps forward: where am I going to find a place for this hedgehog?

The hedgehog lets out another squeak, leaping out of my hands. "Hey!" I shout in protest. It lands on the snow with a soft _plop_ and runs to something behind me. I turn around, jogging after it. The hedgehog is a few feet behind me, chewing on some grass. I bend down and pick him up, scolding him gently for running away from me –

Wait a minute; _grass?_

I blink hard a few times to see if I'm hallucinating. No, my eyes are not deceiving me: where there was once sparkling snow is a small trail of grass – _fresh_ grass, as if all of the snow had magically melted away. "What in the world…?" I mutter to myself as I feel the hedgehog climb onto my left shoulder. I bend down to the place where the hedgehog crawled and run my fingers through the grass.

The blades of grass wrap around my fingers like rings. I swear I can see them grow. Am I the source of their life and energy…? I reach out and touch a patch of snow nearby: nothing happens at first, but then I see more blades of fresh green grass stretch up to the sky between my fingers and the snow melts. I look at my hand, amazed. I stand up and take more steps forward: grass grows in the now uncovered soil from where I just stepped.

If I can create grass, does that mean…?

I start with flowers. With a movement of a finger a single white lily blooms at my feet, its sweet scent drifting up to my nose. I smile. My hands are making strange movements as flowers of all kinds appear at my feet: irises, roses, carnations, sweet peas, lilacs and bleeding hearts. With each one, I feel more energized. I coax more grass out of their hiding place. Soon I'm running, racing through the land while spreading green everywhere. But soon enough, I get tired and plop down on the ground. I smile at my work: it's truly beautiful. I stare up at the moonlight, smiling at its beauty.

I go to the pond nearby. I don't know how to unfreeze it, but I look in the ice to see what's inside. The reflection is blurred, but I see a small outline of features: a straight nose, full lips, and big eyes. I reach up and touch my hair; it's thick and a bit coarse, and it's in ringlets that fall on my shoulders. Who is that girl in the pond? I vaguely recognize her, but all of the rest is gone: no memories of family or friends or even some kind of pet. "Who am I?" I whisper softly.

 _Tatiana._ The same voice I heard earlier came into my head, resonating through my bones. I stand up slowly, looking around. Where did that voice come from? _Your name is Tatiana,_ the voice said again, _and you have a special destiny._


	2. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! I'm glad you're enjoying this so far :D Here's chapter two!**

 **Disclaimer: Don't own RotG.**

" _I will the moon to flight, I will the heavens bright, I will the earth delight; Open your eyes with me, see paradise with me, awake and arise with me…I am the sky and the dawn and the sun." –"The Sky and the Dawn and the Sun," Celtic Woman_

The little hedgehog, who I am named "Bucky," sits on my shoulder as I walk. Where am I going? I don't know. How am I going to get there? I don't know that either. That voice echoes over and over in my head: _"You have a special destiny."_ How am I supposed to know what that destiny is if I can't remember anything? I suppose that's something I will figure out later; right now I need to find out where exactly I am.

I see a small village ahead, lanterns burning in the distance. Despite the cold wind biting my face, I smile and start to run toward it. Bucky lets out a little squeak and I hold him in my hands instead of on my shoulder. I reach the village in good time, and I can smell various spices wafting from different houses: sage, rosemary, thyme, etc. Little children dressed in heavy wool are running around, somehow having fun in the bitter wind and frost. Mothers are in the home, stirring things in pots and washing while Fathers are chopping wood or feeding the fire.

I step forward to a small girl, smiling. "Excuse me, would you mind telling me – " The little girl runs toward me, and just when I'm about to bend down to her height to talk to her she _runs right through me._ I mean that in the most literal way: she runs through me as if I were nothing more than the evening wind. I step back in shock, wondering if maybe I had imagined it, but then another person passes through me, and another and another.

The realization dawns on me like the falling snow: _no one can see me._

But how is that possible? I am a person; a living, breathing soul with flesh and blood. At least, I think I am. I stand there, calling out, "Hello? Hello? Can anyone hear me?" and when no one answers, my blood runs cold. It's something I can't comprehend: how can I be a person of flesh and bone, as real as these people, and they are not able to see me and walk right through me? Am I some sort of spirit with a body? Am I a ghost with bone and muscle?

Who am I? _What_ am I?

Bucky looks up at me, his beady black eyes have an almost concerned light in them. My shoulders shake as I begin to sob. My tears fall to the barren earth, and tiny blades of grass begin to sprout. I feel so empty, so desolate, so…alone. I walk away from the village, my shoulders drooping and my steps heavy. More tears fall, and the falling snow turns into freezing rain. Good grief, does my body somehow affect _everything_ around me?

Here's what I know: my name is Tatiana. I can somehow create things that grow. I have one friend, a hedgehog named Bucky.

Here's what I don't know: why I am here and where I am going. What my purpose is. What this "special destiny" of mine is. Where I came from and why I don't have my memories. What I am, more importantly who I am.

The things I don't know greatly outweigh the things I do know, and that scares me. How am I supposed to do anything without knowing those things first? How will I get those answers? I close my eyes and wish with all of my heart and soul that that mysterious voice will speak to me again, maybe at least give me some kind of a hint as to what to do. But nothing happens. I plop on the frozen ground in frustration, more tears falling. Bucky nibbles on my fingers gently as an attempt to comfort me, but it only makes me cry more.

I let myself cry, but I eventually have to force myself to stop otherwise that village I was just in would be completely covered in freezing rain. I'm wiping my eyes when I see a small trail of golden sand beside me. My brow furrows: I don't think I can create sand…

A warm golden light covers me, and I have to shield my eyes for a moment before seeing what just happened. A small man is standing in front of me, smiling. He's not touching the ground, but floating in midair. Everything about him is that same gold color of the sand.

"Who…who are you?" I ask softly. The man's smile widens as he points to the trail of sand, and then at himself. "Sandman?" I ask, confused. He nods and cocks his head at me, frowning slightly as a question mark appears above his head.

"Huh?" I say. The man points to something on my cheek. I reach up and feel wetness on my fingertips. Another question mark appears above his head. "Um…are you asking me why I'm crying?" The small man smiles widely and nods; I guess he can't speak.

I sigh. "No reason. I'm just…frustrated." The small, floating man blinks, an almost concerned look on his face. Another question mark appears above his head. I look at him; can I trust this man, someone I've known for only minutes? Bucky waddles up to the Sandman and the Sandman smiles and gently pats him on the head. Bucky immediately curls up into a ball and falls asleep. There must be something magical about that sand.

"You're like me," I say quietly. Sandman blinks again, still confused. I smile slightly and do a small movement with my finger. A white lily crawls out of the snow and reaches for the sky. Sandman's eyes widen and so does his smile. He points to Bucky, and then to the sand, and the sand floating above him makes a picture of three Z's.

"Your sand makes people go to sleep?" I ask. He nods and holds out a hand. Three small sand horses prance around, and just seeing them fills me with a strange, happy tiredness. I yawn, and Sandman laughs without sound. "You give people good dreams, too?" He nods again, and then goes back to the first question he asked me: why am I frustrated?

I find myself spilling everything to him, from the moment I woke up until this very minute. Sandman doesn't seem surprised at my story, but he does find my ability to grow things very fascinating. Eventually, I finish my tale. He smiles at me as his magic sand wraps around my slender form. I can already feel my eyelids drooping. He waves a goodbye and takes off into the night, while I dwell in a land of peaceful dreams.

 **Ugggggh, sorry this is so short and kinda sucky. My writing has been kind of off lately, but I hope you liked it anyway! Please leave a review! I've got cookies…(:::) (:::) :D love you guys!**


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